Record-book



E. H. CLARK.

RECORD BOOK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, 1918.

Patnted Sept. 21,1920.

affoznev UNITED STATES ERNEST H. CLARK, or BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

RECORD-1300K.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

Application filed November 19, 1918. Serial No. 263,218.

T all whom it may concern l A 'mote and entirely disconnected places inthe Be it known that I, ERNEST H. CLARK, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and Stateof Alabama, have invented certain new anduseful Improve ments inRecord-Books, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to record books which are particularly adapted forrecord ing railroad car movements or other matters such as clalms, filesor documents whlch have index numbers and which progress from polnt topolnt or which requlre to be,

traced and located.

My invention more particularly is intended as an improvement on the typeof car record book patented to Augustus J. Camp on October 26th, 1909,No. 937,923, wherein is shown 100 groups of original entry pages, eachgroup having printed index numerals for entry spaces arranged in tensub-groups characterized by having two like terminal digits and eachsub-group having an initial digit progressing by subgroups in numericalorder from O to 9, the space in advance of the printed numerals beingprovided to receive the initial digits of the car' number, there beingalso opposite each number two horizontal columns of spaces to receivethe entries of the inbound and outbound car movements. In addition tothe 100 groups of original entry sheets, the Camp record book has asupplement comprising relatively smaller groups of entry spaces having asimilar arrangement of groups and subgroups of indexing numerals. Whenany group of spaces on the main entry pages has been filled it wasnecessary for further'entries to turn to thesupplement and find thegroup of spaces having corresponding index numerals and there to entersuch additional car numbers as theyoccurred. The disadvantage of this isthat it necessitates the clerk searching at two rebook in order to traceany given car number and as a result it has been found to cause the lossof considerable time and to be the occasion of many errors. In practiceit has been found to be necessary that each ten sub-groups of numeralshaving like-terminal 9 digits bearranged on not more than foursuccessive pages as any other arrangement makes too bulky a book orprovides too small a number of entry spaces for each group to'give thebook practical value. In

the Camp patent each ten sub-groups of numerals are. dlsplayed on onepair of oppositelyfacing pages, and as'a result the entry spaces undereach group are necessar1ly limited, thereby enforcing an increased useof the supplement atthe back of the .book with the objectionable resultsabove referred to. It is likewise necessary that a sub-group of similarnumerals be not divided between pages'as in practice this has been foundto occasion many errors through failure of the clerk to follow over frompage to page in searching. My object is to avoid these objections by anovel arrangement of each ten sub-groups of numerals on four main entrypages so as "to provide each group of four pages with spaces forsupplemental entries carried over from its'respec tive ten subgroups ofentry spaces. By this novel arrangement each ten sub-groups of entryspaces indexing numerals with two like terminal digits have associatedwith them a supplement, the spaces of which have the two index digitscommon to its respective sub-groups of main entry spaces. By causing thefirst threepages of each group of pages to carry threesub-groups of mainentry numerals, the fourth page needs to carry only the final sub-groupof main entry spaces, thus leaving two-thirds of it for the supplementspaces.

My invention will be more readily under- .stood by reference to theaccompanying drawings which illustrate a typical embodiment of myinvention as adapted for car record movements, and in which Figure 1shows the book open-to display sponding page of the last group'of pageshaving the indexing numerals terminating in the digits 99.

Fig. 2 is a'similar view of Fig. 1, showing the second two pages of thefirst group of pagescarrying the last four subgroups of entry spaceshavlng indexing numerals terminating in the digits 00 together withtheir supplement, the book being broken away to show in part acorresponding page of the lastgroup' of pages having indexing numeralsterminating in the digits 99.

Similar reference n'umeralsrefer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

As illustrated, I provide a book l provided with 100 groups of entrypages, each group comprising four pages (two oppositely facing pairs),respectively, numbered 2, 3, 4L and 5. As the pages comprising eachgroup are similar, except as to the printed indexing numerals thereon,the arrangement of the first group of pages may be taken as typical ofthe other ninety-nine groups of pages for the purpose of simplifyingde-, scription, Page 2, which constitutes the first page of each group,is subdivided by a vertical divisional line 15 arranged near its centerand the arrangement of columns and entry spaces on each side of th1sline 5 being the same, with one exception hereafter noted, it will onlybe necessary to describe in detail this arrangement for one side of thepage; At the left hand edge of the page is arranged a vertical column 6and adjoining this is a vertical column 7 headed by the I arranged todivide each horizontal column only across the Movement columns 9. Thesehorizontal sub-columns in the column 9 are arranged in alinement withthe words Inbound and Outbound disposed opfposite them in the column 6,but to avoid unnecessary printing these words Inbound and Outbound aredisplayed only in the first horizontal column of each group ofhorizontal columns, which groups are divided and separted by the heavyhorizontal lines 12. The other and inner half of the page is providedwith like columns 7, 8 and 9 and, except for the absence of the column6, is a duplicate of the arrangement already described for the outerhalf of the 1 ditto marks in place of the two final digitsin all by thetop columns, thus making the page. It will be observed that said page isdivided by the vvertical line 15 and the horizontal lines 12 into sixgroups of entry spaces which are similar, the spaces in column 6 notbeing, properly speaking, entry spaces. The two upper groups aredistinguished by having printed in the three terminal sub-columns ofcolumn 8 the index ing numerals 000, it being preferable to use initialor characteristic digit more prominent. The second two groups of spacesare dlstingulshedby having the lndexlng nu mera-ls 1 00 printed incolumn 8 and the third two groups of spaces by having'the indexingnumerals 2 00 printed therein.

' respectively.

Page 3 is ruled and subdivided exactly as page 2 and its three maingroups of spaces are distinguished by having printed therein theindexing numerals 3 00, 4 00 and 5 00, Page 4: is similar to pages 2 and3 except that the three main groups of spaces are distinguished byhaving printed therein the indexing numerals 6 O0, 7 O0 and 8 00,respectively. Page 5 has its upper. portion ruled to correspond with theruling of the two upper groups of'spaces for the pages described andthese spacesare distinguished by having the indexing numerals 9 O0printed therein. A horizontal column 13"extending across the page andhaving dis played therein the word Supplement divides the rest of thepage from the upper groups of spaces. 'The ruling of the page under thesupplement column isi'dentical with that already described and thesespaces are distinguished by having printed therein in the two terminalsub-columns of the columns 8 the numerals 00 or ditto marks therefor asthese numerals characterize all of the indexing numerals of the tensubgroups of spaces on that group of pages. The second group of fourpages will bedistinguished from the first group only by having theindexingnumerals of its sub-groups of entry and supplement spacesterminating in the digits 01 insteadof ()0, and each succeeding group ofpages successively throughout the book will be characterized by indexingnumerals, the terminal digits of which progress serially in numericalorder from 02 to 99. Any desired arrangement of tabs 14 can be employed,that preferable being the arrangement of a tab on the middle sheet ofeach group of four pages having displayed on both sides thereof the twoterminal digits characteristic of the indexing numerals of itsrespective groups of entry spaces. By

this means the tab may be grasped and the book readily o ened to exposeall ten subgroups and t eir respective supplement which have theterminal indexing digitscorresponding to those on the tab page to theright or the left the spaces desired f0 search or entry are madeaccessible. I In operation, it is desired to make entry of the movementsof a given car, for instance B & O No. 41200, the book is opened at theinitial index tab marked 00 and the entry is made. in the sub-group ofentry spaces carrying the terminal digits 200. In entering the car itsinitial B & 'O is entered in column 7 and its initial digits 41 areentered in the appropriate sub columns in column 8. Thereafter entriesof the inbound movements of this car are made in the upper horizontalsub-column in column 9 while its outbound movements are made in itsrespective lower horizontal subcolumn in column 9. The number ofvertical sub-columns in the column 9 may be increased to receive theordinary number of entries required. In practice about seven of thesecolumns are used for car movements though only four are disclosed forillustrative purposes in the drawings. If the next entry were for a carnumbered 2399 the tab marked 99 would be grasped and the book opened andthe entry made in the sub-group of spaces characterized by the terminaldigits 399. In this way entries accumulate until all sub-groups of entryspaces, which are similarly numbered, are filled. Thereupon the nextentry is made in'the supplement columns characterized by the twoterminal digits similar to the car number, thus, in the first instance,if all entry spaces headed 200 had been filled when it was desired toenter car number 41200 this entry would then have been made in thesupplement on page 5 by entering the first three digits of the carnumber, to-wit:412 in the appropriate sub-columns of column 8.

It will be observed that instead of dividing each page into three largesub-groups of entry spaces, 1 provide for a large number of originalentry spaces for each subgroup. This division of each page into threemain groups of spaces is of peculiar importance as it leaves only onesub-group of spaces for the fourth page of each group 01' pages, thusreleasing two-thirds of this latter or fourth page for supplementalentries. This arrangement also confines all similarly numbered entryspaces to the same page, thus avoiding errors which is most liable tooccur if any similarly numbered groups of spaces are spread over twopages. In combining each supplement with its corresponding group of mainentry spaces, I condense at one point in the book all entries having twocorresponding terminal digits and I avoid two separate groups of mainentry and supplement pages and also the necessity for two sets ofindices and of cross references from one to another which wouldotherwise be essential.

It will be understood that the particular headings of the columns willbemodified in accordance with the character of the subject matter to beentered, whether the same relate to car movements, claims, vouchers orother documents, and that the number of columns or the subdivisionsthereof may be increased or diminished in accordance with the nature ofthe entries, it being within the Y contemplation of my invention thatthe same shall embrace any equivalent arrangement of ten indexedsub-groups of entry spaces and their correlated supplement entry spaceswhen distributed in the manner described over four succeeding pages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. An improved record book comprising 100 groups of four'entry pages,each page being subdivided by vertical andhorizontal lines into entryspaces, each entry space of a group of pages being headed by an indexingnumeral having two like terminal digits, the entry spaces of the firstthree pages and part of the fourthpage of each group of pages beingdivided into like sub-groups which are respectively distinguished by adifferent initial index digit, which initial digit progresses by groupsin numerical order from zero to nine, the twoterminal' digitscharacterizing each of the 100 groups of pages progressing by groups innumerical order from O0 to 99.

2. An improved record book comprising 100 groups of pages, there beingfour pages to each group, all the pages being subdivided by vertical andhorizontal lines into entry spaces which are headed by indexing digitswhich progress by groups of pages in numerical order from O0 to 99, theentry spaces of each group of four pages being subdivided into ten equalsub-groups of original entry spaces and one larger sub-group ofsupplemental entry spaces, the ten subgroups of original entry spacesbeing further distinguished from each other by the addition of aninitial indexing digit to their aforesaid respective index digits, whichinitial digits progress by sub-groups of origigal entry spaces innumerical order from 8. An improved record book comprising 100 groups ofpages, there being two pairs of oppositely facing pages to each group,all the pages being subdivided by vertical and horizontal lines intoentry spaces which are headed by indexing digits which progress bygroups of pages in numerical order from 00 to 99, the entry spaces ofeach group of pages being subdivided into ten equal subgroups oforiginal entry spaces and one relatively larger sub-group ofsupplemental entry spaces, the ten subgroups of original entry spacebeing further distinguished byv the addition of an initial index digitto their respective index digits aforesaid, which initial digitsprogress by sub-groups of original entry spaces in numerical order fromO to 9, three sub-groups of spaces being ar ranged on each page of agroup of pages except the last page, two thirds of which is devoted tosaid sub-group of supplemental entry spaces.

4. An improved record book comprising 100 groups of pages, there beingfour pages to each group, each page of a group being subdivided byvertical and horizontal lines into sub-groups of entry spaces, eachgroup of pages being ruled into ten equal subgroups of original entryspaces and one group of supplemental entry spaces twice the size of anoriginalentry sub-group, the ten sub-groups of original entry spaces oneach group of pages having a common indexing numeral composed of twoterminal digits and being distinguished by the prefixing of an initialindexing digit which progresses by sub-groups in numerical order from 0to 9, the two terminal indexing digits for the groups of pagesprogressing by groups of pages in numerlcal order from O0 to 99.

5. An improved record book comprising 100 groups of pages, there beingfour pages to each group, each page of a group being subdivided byvertical and horizontal lines into sub-groups of entry spaces, therebeing ten. sub-groups of original entry spaces and one subgroup ofsupplemental entry spaces distributed over each four original entrypages, each subgroup of spaces havlng a d stlngulshmg index numeralcomposed of two terminal digits which'are alike on each group of pages,the first ten sub-groups of spaces on each group of pages beingdistinguished by an initial indexing digit whlch progresses bysub-groups in numerical order from 0 to 9, the terminal indexing digitsfor the groups of pages progressing by groups of pages in numericalorder from 00 to 99, each group of four pages comprising two pairs ofoppositely facing pages, and an index tab connected to the leaf carryingthe middle pages of each group of pages and displaying thecharacteristic index digits of its respective group of pages.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

' ERNEST H. CLARK. Witness: I

NOMIE WELSH.

